MOSCOW, Russia: President Vladimir Putin accused Western countries of persecuting Russian journalists to suppress “truthful information,” according to an interview published Monday by the Mongolian newspaper Onoodor.
His comments come shortly after Moscow barred 92 U.S. citizens, including journalists, from entering Russia, citing what it described as Washington’s “Russophobic” policies. Putin criticized the West, which he claims holds itself as a model of freedom, for engaging in “open persecution” of Russian correspondents.
The move to ban U.S. citizens follows a pattern of actions by the Kremlin to silence dissenting voices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including the suppression of independent media. Putin defended the state of media freedom in Russia, stating that Russian journalists must only comply with national laws. He also asserted that foreign correspondents working in Russia should adhere to Russian regulations.
Putin argued that Russian media faces “direct censorship” in nearly all Western countries and accused Western governments of restricting Russian media to suppress their viewpoint on global issues. In response to perceived biases, Russia has targeted Western media, with lawmakers passing a bill that allows for the shutdown of foreign media bureaus in Moscow if their home countries are deemed “unfriendly” to Russian media.
Meanwhile, Washington has imposed sanctions on several state-run Russian TV stations, alleging that they have spread disinformation in support of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The ongoing dispute highlights the deepening divide between Russia and Western countries over issues of media freedom and narrative control in the context of geopolitical conflicts.
